Munoz said the 16-year-old from Henderson was found in a rugged area in canyons south of Hoover Dam and east of Boulder City.

Munoz didn't immediately know the cause of death.

He said the search team found tracks matching shoes his family said he was wearing when he was reported missing late Saturday.

McNeil went missing during a hike Saturday night, shortly after sending a text message to his mother.

"He texted me every two hours all day long," Taylor said. "Right before seven o'clock, he said he was getting low on energy, getting tired and moving much slower. (He) was afraid he wasn't going to make it to the dam before dark," McNeil's mother, Gloria Taylor, said.
Taylor and McNeil had set up a spot to meet at the Hoover Dam at 7:45 p.m. At first, she said she thought he was just taking longer because he was tired. But after a couple of hours, she called authorities to report her son missing.
Saturday's hike was his first major expedition on his own, some 17 miles from his home near Foothill to the dam, with the intent to hike to the river and swim across to Arizona.

"He hiked every day around the mountains," Taylor said. "Four to six hours a day to prepare for this trip."